One of Mandurah’s beloved icons, the Old Bridge, might be going down, but in a heartfelt goodbye, the City of Mandurah has decided to keep its history alive forever in a new collaborative public artwork.
Mandurah residents will have the unique opportunity to have a say about the new artwork by meeting artists from across the state and sharing their memories of the bridge in a special workshop.
The City has partnered with arts and innovation consultancy Maker + Co and public art specialist Artsource to bring together some of WA's best creative minds to honour the connections of local residents with the bridge.
The Bridging Culture brainstorming event will be held on May 12 and will bring community members and artists together to discuss which key elements should be included in the artwork.
Mandurah Mayor Marina Vergone said the initiative fit within the City’s vision of Mandurah as a connected and forward-thinking city that honours its past, celebrates its presents and embraces its future.
“Generations of locals and visitors have memories related to the old bridge,” she said.
“We are keen to incorporate those stories into the new bridge through public art and create opportunities to continue that tradition of storytelling and memory making.
“We are encouraging a collaborative approach to the creation of the artwork between our community and artists, innovators and tech start-ups.”
Make + Co creative director Colette McEntee said she was excited to move ahead with the collaboration.
“This is a great opportunity for the community and public artists to collaborate an share Mandurah’s stories in new and interesting ways,” she said.
“We hope the process will empower artists to be boldly creative and visionary – these are an artist’s greatest gifts.”
Artsource chief Gavin Buckley said they were delighted to bring the project on board and celebrated the City’s approach to get artists involved in the decision-making process.
“We are thrilled that the City is engaging artists in the critical early stages, where they can really showcase their creativity and help set the direction of the works that will be commissioned,” he said.
The ideas generated at the Bridging Culture working groups will be shared with the broader community at the end of the day as part of the briefing process for artists interested in submitting their ideas.
To be part of the initiative register for the Bridging Cultures workshop at mandurah.wa.gov.au.
Spaces are limited.
